Urban Sustainability and Green Space
Do you think Wilmington is a green city? Or do you think there are too many buildings and not the right balance between green space – trees, gardens, parks and grass areas – and non-green habitats – roads, concrete buildings and other hard surfaces?
Did you also know that when there is too much concrete and not enough trees then it can get hotter? This is called the ‘heat island effect’ and is a sustainability problem that many cities face as they grow. The “Urban Sustainability” project uses technology and coding to analyze differences in greenspace and heat islands between Wilmington, NC. Python coding was used to analyze images taken above Wilmington using a drone. Analysis through python coding was completed to determine green space coverage. The results were then projected on a Plotly map to determine evenness of green coverage across urban areas. Thermal cameras were also used to measure heat emitted from different surfaces. For Wilmington, the amount of concrete in downtown areas elevated the surface temperature by 15-20 degrees C.
Did you also know that when there is too much concrete and not enough trees then it can get hotter? This is called the ‘heat island effect’ and is a sustainability problem that many cities face as they grow. The “Urban Sustainability” project uses technology and coding to analyze differences in greenspace and heat islands between Wilmington, NC. Python coding was used to analyze images taken above Wilmington using a drone. Analysis through python coding was completed to determine green space coverage. The results were then projected on a Plotly map to determine evenness of green coverage across urban areas. Thermal cameras were also used to measure heat emitted from different surfaces. For Wilmington, the amount of concrete in downtown areas elevated the surface temperature by 15-20 degrees C.
Meet the Young Scientists!
Akram
14 Years Old |
Bashar
15 Years Old |
Ammar
17 Years Old |
Luai
12 Years Old |
Bilal
14 Years Old |
